Jesse Kaufman, co-founder of ProStory was the winner of our
recent MentorshipBC contest​: “How has mentorship helped you?” The
Abbotsford-based, young entrepreneur is climbing his way to success by having a mentor and helping others with
his own style of mentorship.

Giving Back

Kaufman co-founded online publication, ProStory, that
features articles from prominent leaders to teach and mentor Gen-Y Canadians on
the topics of career advice and current issues. The website allows him to help
other people in many of the ways mentors have helped him, and he is constantly
learning from the writers featured on ProStory. Kaufman describes: “An individual who once
contributed to Pro Story shared with me the power that leaders have to make
positive change in communities. It is putting this goal as our bottom line that
allows ProStory to empower our readers.”

The online publication that reaches tens of thousands of
individuals used that power to help break the stigma surrounding student mental
health. In April 2014, ProStory’s co-founder Jimmy Kang led Issue 002 - Mental
Health Matters. Kaufman explains: “The 2013 National College Health Assessment
found that 9.5 per cent of Canadian post-secondary students seriously
considered suicide…The response (to our issue) was incredible and sparked a
dialog that connected students struggling with mental health issues to
professionals and organizations that could help.”

Personal
Mentorship

Mentorship also helped Kaufman personally. Currently
completing a BBA at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business, he
explains, “Mentorship has touched my life in many ways. It has helped me define
personal success, build skills, and learn patience. My mentor even helped
rekindle my passion for video production.”

Kaufman also recently found a new mentor through our MentorshipBC
contest: “MentorshipBC came to my attention through the connecting power of
LinkedIn, a great tool for any entrepreneur. The community on the MentorshipBC
LinkedIn page has already created interesting connections and opportunities
to learn.”

What Does the
Future Hold?

So what are the next steps for the budding entrepreneur?
“After completing my BBA at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of
Business, I will build a career in an industry that allows me to explore and
build on that passion.” Kaufman’s advice to current students looking for a
career is to: “be honest in trying to understand what motivates you. Just like
organizations look to strategy as their north star, you can use a personal
mission statement to guide your entrepreneurial and career choices.”

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Want to learn more about ProStory?
Take a look at ProStory’s current issue 003 – Building Society with Art: This
issue shows the incredible power that artistic mediums have to heal, build
community, and create a voice for the underrepresented.